Joggins, Nova Scotia (June 2013)

Being on vacation meant being on the road, looking for rocks. That also meant that during that week, I had to make at least one stop at Joggins, in the wet province of Nova Scotia, where the bees shoot flames, and.. ok, lets move on. Here's a few photos of my trek down the beach.

Like always, be mindful of the tides. Not knowing when high tide comes in could spell trouble as exit routes are not easily found. So you'd end up stranded for a few hours, so really not recommended to stick around when high time comes around.

Sand nodule containing plants

The sand nodules that I found on the beach are extremely hard and those I came across contained mostly plants, like the one I found already cracked on the photo above. Some of them were covered with pyrite (fool's gold).

Trackways or sediment deformation?


Lots of new plants, especially calamites (some whole)

A lonely fern

Found the other print of the lonely fern



Got to the coal mine shaft and was surprised of how much had eroded away in a matter of weeks. Parts of the top of the shaft had collapsed then washed away, leaving a bigger gap. You could smell sulfur, and it smelled like heck!

Mine shaft pic taken last year (left) and this Summer (right)

View of inside the shaft

Stigmaria ('tree' root)

Calamites in situ

Sigillaria imprint

I was surprised that this time around there were not many trees. I've found one partly buried in scree, and another (mostly flame scarred) loose on the beach. There was a lot of material that had come loose, but the tide had managed to carry and spread these all over.

This spot is usually hard to resist when talking rock trip. Every time I come down here, I end up seeing an ever changing scenery. If you're ever in the area of Joggins, Nova Scotia, stop by. Its worth it.

Cheers!

- Keenan


Disclaimer: In Nova Scotia under the 'Special Places Protection Act', fossils cannot be dug up or disturbed without a permit. The province has a mandate to protect palaeontological sites and it is your civic duty to report any finds to the local museum, or the Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage (https://cch.novascotia.ca/exploring-our-past/special-places). This encourages the contribution these finds could make to science not just in the provice, but on the global stage. You must also seek permission if you are to enter private land.
Location: Joggins, NS B0M, Canada

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